After directing a pair of documentaries in the early 2000s, Julien Elie took a 15-year hiatus from cinema, returning in 2018 with his epic film Soleils Noirs. Documenting a wave of violence that has affected Mexico for years, the film won multiple awards and distinctions (CPH DOX, FICUNAM, Hamburg Film Festival, among others) and was presented in nearly 60 festivals worldwide. In 2023, a second documentary filmed in Mexico, The White Guard, addressed the devastation of landscapes and territories by private companies. Elie’s latest film, Shifting Baselines (2025), premiered at Visions du réel (Nyon) and Hot Docs (Toronto).